Braves put Ronald Acuña Jr. on 10-day injured list with left hamstring strain

CHICAGO (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr. was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday by the Atlanta Braves because of a strained left hamstring.

The star right fielder got hurt Tuesday night during a 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox, when he pulled up limping after trying to beat out a grounder in the fourth.

Acuña was removed from the game, and an MRI on Wednesday showed the strain.

“Grade 1, so it’s not terrible, but enough where we had to IL him,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said, according to MLB.com. “We’d be waiting around a while, playing short-handed if we were waiting for it to heal. So we went ahead and put him on the IL."

It is Acuña’s second left hamstring injury this season. He was on the 10-day injured list from May 3-18 with a strained left hamstring also sustained while attempting to run out a grounder.

“I don’t think it’s as severe as the last one, but still going to need some time,” Weiss said.

Atlanta selected the contract of first baseman Rowdy Tellez from Triple-A Gwinnett, where the eight-year major league veteran was batting .259 with eight homers, 33 RBIs and an .850 OPS in 49 games.

To open a spot for him on the 40-man roster, right-hander Jhancarlos Lara was designated for assignment.

In other moves before Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to Chicago, the Braves selected James Karinchak to the big league roster and designated fellow right-hander Carlos Carrasco for assignment. The team also recalled right-hander JR Ritchie and placed reliever Tyler Kinley on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 8, with right elbow inflammation.

Kinley is 4-2 with a 3.18 ERA in 31 appearances.

The 28-year-old Acuña, the 2023 NL MVP and a five-time All-Star, is hitting .251 with seven homers, 22 RBIs, 15 steals and a .793 OPS for the Braves, who top the majors with a 45-23 record. They lead the NL East by eight games over Philadelphia.

Acuña also has endured two serious knee injuries in his career. He sustained a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in May 2024, and tore his right ACL midway through the 2021 season.

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